Ah, yes. It's nice to meet you. I've seen your name in quite a few places.
[He pauses for a moment, before continuing, his voice hesitant.]
It is rather distressing, I'm afraid, although doubtless not nearly so much as what Gabriel experienced, for which I am truly sorry. I am still trying to understand it all myself. But I think it had something to do with my prior work for the FBI.
I'm sorry, but what's the FBI and what does it have to do with this?
[That particular organisation doesn't exist in his world. Al is silent for a moment, voice softening just a bit when he continues.]
Do you understand what exactly you lost? It can't-- I've never heard of a death loss turning someone into a murderer before.
[Maybe losing his sense of morality? But even then, that shouldn't make someone a rampant murderer, just make them more likely to consider it as an option if it suited their purposes.]
The FBI is a government agency that investigates crimes. I was not an agent, but I did extensive work profiling serial killers. Such a task requires an intimate familiarity with the minds of those capable of such things, which in turn requires a firm separation between one's own mind and the part that by necessity thinks as these killers do. As I said, I am still trying to understand exactly what happened, but I suspect I may have lost that separation.
It is my understanding that there have been those who have killed as a result of their death price. John Watson, for instance.
[It's a small and subdued sort of sound. That explanation makes a lot of sense, even if it raises very disturbing questions about the sort of person that could get into the mind of a serial killer in the first place.]
I'm sorry, that must have been horrifying.
[To lose control, to lose your mind to the minds of killers you've been trying to stop for years. Al can barely even imagine it.]
Are you-- you're yourself again now? Have you spoken to Mr. Gray?
[Well, if an apology has been made and accepted, that's the wind taken out of Al's sails as regards righteous anger. Now he just feels sort of awkward and sad.]
I'm sorry that I had to come and talk to you this way, it's not how I usually like to meet people, but I'm sure you understand that I had to be sure you weren't dangerous beyond the death price.
Audio
Date: 2018-04-14 02:17 pm (UTC)From:Of course. How may I be of service Mr. ...?
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 02:31 pm (UTC)From:[He doesn't ask, as he might usually do, if Hannibal has seen his name scrawled around the town or on the survival guide.]
I'm sorry if this is distressing to talk about, but I want to hear about what happened to Mr. Gray from your perspective.
[Death loss, that's what Gabriel had said. He's just not seen many death losses that were that outright violent.]
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 02:42 pm (UTC)From:[He pauses for a moment, before continuing, his voice hesitant.]
It is rather distressing, I'm afraid, although doubtless not nearly so much as what Gabriel experienced, for which I am truly sorry. I am still trying to understand it all myself. But I think it had something to do with my prior work for the FBI.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 02:48 pm (UTC)From:[That particular organisation doesn't exist in his world. Al is silent for a moment, voice softening just a bit when he continues.]
Do you understand what exactly you lost? It can't-- I've never heard of a death loss turning someone into a murderer before.
[Maybe losing his sense of morality? But even then, that shouldn't make someone a rampant murderer, just make them more likely to consider it as an option if it suited their purposes.]
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 02:59 pm (UTC)From:It is my understanding that there have been those who have killed as a result of their death price. John Watson, for instance.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 03:05 pm (UTC)From:[It's a small and subdued sort of sound. That explanation makes a lot of sense, even if it raises very disturbing questions about the sort of person that could get into the mind of a serial killer in the first place.]
I'm sorry, that must have been horrifying.
[To lose control, to lose your mind to the minds of killers you've been trying to stop for years. Al can barely even imagine it.]
Are you-- you're yourself again now? Have you spoken to Mr. Gray?
no subject
Date: 2018-04-14 10:12 pm (UTC)From:I have, thankfully, seem to have recovered my sanity. And yes, I've spoken to Mr. Gray. He has been very gracious.
no subject
Date: 2018-04-16 03:53 pm (UTC)From:[Well, if an apology has been made and accepted, that's the wind taken out of Al's sails as regards righteous anger. Now he just feels sort of awkward and sad.]
I'm sorry that I had to come and talk to you this way, it's not how I usually like to meet people, but I'm sure you understand that I had to be sure you weren't dangerous beyond the death price.